A prompt is a one-off instruction you paste into chat. A skill is a SKILL.md file you install so Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, or Copilot can apply the same rules whenever the task matches. Use a prompt for a single deliverable. Use a skill when you would otherwise paste those rules again next week.
This site keeps both in separate catalogs on purpose. Prompts are copy-ready. Skills are install-ready. Workflows chain several prompts across a longer job.
What a prompt is
A prompt is the message you send: task, context, constraints, and the shape of the output. You copy it, change the bracketed bits, and run it once. Tomorrow you might run a different prompt, or the same one against new notes.
Prompts work in ChatGPT and Claude as well as in coding agents. That matters for research synthesis, workshop plans, stakeholder email, and anything that does not need your repo sitting open.
Example: paste Accessibility audit with a URL or a screenshot, get a report, and you are done. You did not need that rubric loaded for every later chat.
What a skill is
A skill is packaged instructions the agent can discover. The file says when to activate, what to gather, how to work, and what "done" looks like. You install it once. How to install an agent skill covers Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, and VS Code paths.
After that, you should not have to mention accessibility, critique structure, or your UI bar in every message. The skill's description is how the agent decides it is relevant. A vague description means it never fires, or it fires on everything.
Example: install Accessibility Expert. Ask for a settings page. The first draft should already include labels, focus, and keyboard support. That is the point: standing standards, not a reminder you remember to paste.
Prompt vs skill vs workflow
People collapse all three into "a prompt." They are different artifacts with different lifecycles.
| Compare | Prompt | Skill | Workflow |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | One message you paste | SKILL.md the agent can load | A sequence of prompts with timing |
| Lifespan | This task | Every matching session after install | A multi-day or multi-step job |
| Where it runs | Chat or coding agent | Coding agent (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Copilot) | Wherever you run each step |
| You should use it when | The inputs change every time | The quality bar should not change | The job has ordered phases |
| Example | Synthesize these six interviews | Always check WCAG on generated UI | A five-day design sprint |
On this site, workflows live in the workflows catalog. They are playbooks, not SKILL.md files. A skill can sit inside a workflow step. It does not replace the whole sprint.
When to use a prompt
Use a prompt when the work is specific to this pile of input. New interview notes. This week's critique. A one-page brief for a stakeholder who asked at 4pm.
- Exploratory asks ("give me ten onboarding directions")
- Tasks that need a document or dataset pasted in
- Work you will do in ChatGPT or Claude, with no repo
- Anything you have not repeated enough to know the rules yet
Designers often start in prompts for designers: journey maps, IA, specs, critique. That is the right default until a prompt becomes ritual.
When to use a skill
Use a skill when the standard should be true even if you forget to ask. Accessibility. Design-system usage. UX writing voice. Critique structure. Frontend taste. Those are not "this ticket." They are how the team works.
- You already re-pasted the same paragraph twice this month
- Several people should get the same bar from the same agent
- The work happens in a repo, where SKILL.md can live next to the code
- You want the agent to apply the bar without being reminded
Skills are a poor fit for a unique document. Installing a "Q3 roadmap" skill is how folders get noisy. Keep the skill about a job that recurs. Put the unique facts in the prompt you send that day.
When a prompt should become a skill
Graduate a prompt when you can name the trigger, the inputs, and the definition of done without looking at last week's paste. If you are still discovering what "good" means, keep it as a prompt.
A practical test: would you put this in a teammate's onboarding? If yes, it belongs in SKILL.md (or in AGENTS.md / DESIGN.md if it is repo-wide, not a single job). If it is only useful against this week's files, it stays a prompt.
Create an Agent Skill turns a workflow you already run into SKILL.md. Use it after the prompt has worked a few times, not as a first draft of a process you have never tried.
What they are not
Adjacent files get mixed in with skills and prompts. They solve different jobs.
- System prompt: hidden product instructions for an assistant you ship. Users never install it.
- Cursor rules: always-on project notes. Use them for "never commit .env." Use a skill for a workflow with steps and a done state.
- AGENTS.md: repo-wide operating notes for coding agents (stack, permissions, what needs approval).
- DESIGN.md: how this product should look and behave. Skills can point at it. They should not duplicate the whole system.
If you want the file-writing prompts, they are under AI Workflows: SKILL.md, AGENTS.md, DESIGN.md, CLAUDE.md.
Pick one and go
Need a deliverable this afternoon? Open prompts, copy one, change the brackets.
Need the same bar every time you generate UI? Open skills, then follow how to install an agent skill.
Designer-specific use cases (critique, workshops, a11y by default) are in Agent skills for designers. That article is the "why it matters in a design practice" piece. This one is the decision rule.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a skill and a prompt?
A prompt is a one-off instruction you paste into chat. A skill is a SKILL.md file you install so Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, or Copilot can apply the same rules whenever the task matches. Prompts die with the task. Skills persist across sessions.
When should I use a prompt instead of a skill?
Use a prompt when the inputs change every time, you are exploring, or you are working in ChatGPT or Claude without a repo. Research synthesis, a one-page brief, and a unique critique of this week's screens are prompt work.
When should I install a skill?
Install a skill when the quality bar should hold even if you forget to ask: accessibility, design-system usage, UX writing voice, critique structure. If you have re-pasted the same paragraph twice this month, it belongs in a skill.
How are workflows different from skills and prompts?
A workflow chains several prompts across a longer job, such as a design sprint or research study, with timing and deliverables. A skill is one standing capability. A prompt is one message. Workflows can include skills at individual steps.
Is a skill the same as AGENTS.md or DESIGN.md?
No. AGENTS.md is repo-wide operating notes for coding agents. DESIGN.md is how this product should look and behave. A skill is one job with activation rules and a done state. Skills can point at those files. They should not copy the whole system.
